We've certainly never had a bad canoe adventure, but our absolute favorite "Unit 1" outing was early in our first year our new canoeing life.
It was mid-August, and we'd only had "Unit 1" for all of two months. We didn't get out as often as we thought we would that first year, and we were itching to get our canoe in the water again when I heard about this magical state park in central Minnesota from one the parishioners at my church.
She told me that when their kids were younger, they would load them up and head to Glendalough State Park for a weekend of camping and water activities. And she said she'd never since seen a park and campground setting that was as beautiful.
Now, I have to admit, the park sounded a bit fanciful, as I'd lived in northwestern Minnesota all my life, and had worked in small community journalism for a quarter century, and I had never ever heard of Glendalough. ... But that night when I got home, I shared the news with Shelley and we googled it up. And see enough of what we like in a potential canoeing lake -- small, little motorized boat traffic, good fishing, good water visibility, and within a couple hours' drive -- that we set our sights on the park for the week.
And now that we've been there, I don't know what more I can say than I did on Facebook the day we encountered Glendalough: "We were lucky enough to sneak out "Unit 1" for another run today. And visited another state park we had never been to. ... Words defy describing Glendalough State Park. ... What an absolute treasure! Seriously, put it on your road trip list. Until next time, Glendalough! Until next time!"
Granted, you have to enjoy the Minnesota prairie, and the fact that the main lake is "non-motorized," but if those two aspects don't bother you, then you have to get yourself to Glendalough.
Explore Minnesota said it best on their website: "Nestled in the transition zone between prairie and hardwood forest, Glendalough offers a true respite from civilization. Crystal clear Annie Battle Lake is a 335-acre, non-motorized 'Heritage Fishery' that provides a tranquil fishing experience second to none. Special regulations sustain a steady supply of large sunfish, crappie, and the occasional walleye for the frying pan, and large bass for the camera. Near the pristine shores of this lake are a cart-in campground and canoe-in campsites, all free from the traffic and noise of traditional drive-in camping."
For those outdoorsy folks, who also are history buffs like myself, check this out: Originally acquired by Ezra Valentine in 1903 as a summer retreat, the land was sold in 1928 to F.E. Murphy, owner of the Minneapolis Tribune Company. Murphy expanded the property and started a private game farm there.
In 1941, the property as well as the Tribune newspaper was sold to Cowles Media Company. The Cowles family continued to operate the game farm and add more land to the property, which they used as a private family and corporate retreat.
During the 1950s, former Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon were among the many notable guests at Glendalough. On Earth Day, 1990, this largely natural and undeveloped property was donated to The Nature Conservancy. On June 10, 1992, the deed was transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for use as a state park.
How cool is that? ... I mean you can even still visit the awesome main lodge, and rent it!
For the geologist aficionados among us: "Leaf Hills" is the term often used to describe the park's topography. The hills were created by glacial ice and meltwater deposits of sand gravel. The outwash drift in the Glendalough area is mainly sandy loam.
And finally, if you need even more incentive to visit: One of the last large tracts of undeveloped lake shore in western Minnesota (9.2 miles) lies within the park. The gently rolling topography is an excellent example of original landscape transition from prairie to northern hardwoods. This hilly, lake-strewn, and partially wooded countryside is an excellent setting for recreational activities.
There is so much to love about Glendalough, that I can't do it justice in one blog post, so I'll just tell you a little more about our adventure.
Being canoe fans, we of course appreciated the "no motor" policy of the main Annie Battle Lake, but felt that we were better suited dropping into the adjoining Molly Stark Lake which is smaller and has a tremendous public access. This lake does allow for motor boats, but frankly we only saw a couple all day so they weren't the nuisance they can be on busier, more popular lakes.
Shelley and I dropped in "Unit 1" on the access located on the lake's southwest side, and started paddling along its lake shore in a counter-clockwise direction. So, southwest to southeast to northeast if you look at the lake on a map. One of the reasons we traveled the route that we did is that there is a beach access to the lake on the northwest side, and it was a hot day that drew a lot of beach-goers, and thus a lot of noise. ... It might be a little snobbish, but a good canoeing day to me comes with a good does of quiet. (Shelley likely disagrees! But she's more the extrovert!)
The first thing that you notice about Molly Stark Lake is its water clarity. We started canoeing in about 8 to 12 feet of water along the shore and frankly the water was so clear you felt like you could reach down and scoop up a handful of sand. The water was so unspoiled that we could plainly see everything growing on the bottom of the lake, and even see the fish! ... And not just small fish! ... In a lifetime of growing up around northwestern Minnesota's lakes, I've never see water so clear.
We took a leisurely pace along the southwestern shore of the lake, and came to a place on the south end of the lake where it was so beautiful we felt compelled to pull up on shore and get out. So we beached the canoe, got out, shed the life jackets and basked in the day's sunshine, quiet and cool water. It was some of the best swimming I've ever had in my life, and the shore was the most pristine sand you could ever imagine.
Almost begrudgingly, we climbed back into the canoe to continue exploring, making our way to the southwestern edge of the lake, where large stream takes you through a large aqueduct and under a state highway. According to the maps and bulletin boards at the park's information center, the stream eventually takes you to a West Battle Lake, which is a far bigger lake than we ever care to canoe on. And so after about a hundred yards of exploring, we turned around and let the current carry us back to Molly Stark Lake, which is all inside the park.
We continued canoeing north, northeast where we found a second stream that cuts through tall marshland and eventually takes you to the park's main lake: Annie Battle Lake. But, I have to tell you, this stream while gorgeous and found was a slog in a canoe. There are a ton of switch backs, a number of places where the water gets pretty shallow in August, and there aren't a lot of stopping points along the way. This stream would be a kayakers dream because it's built for that kind of adventure, and as a matter of fact we were passed by a half dozen or more kayaks in our time in the stream. But it happened to be early enough into our day that we had enough in us to power through the difficult canoe to the other side, destination Annie Battle Lake. ... And we did make it.
We cleared the other side, took a couple of photos and decided to head back because we knew we had a significant paddle back through that stream and we wanted to see more of Molly Stark Lake. Honestly, we muscled our way through back to our starting lake, but it took a lot out of us, and we ended up beaching our canoe on the northeast side of Molly Stark Lake when we came out the other side.
The upside was that we had another beautiful swim in just a few feet of water. We investigated the shoreline, and saw the remnants of an old homestead, picked out rocks that we loved, marveled at the seashell graveyard that amassed on the shallow beach, and gasped at all of the fish we could see plainly in the water. It was a terrifically refreshing stop.
But with the afternoon growing long, our bellies beginning to growl, and the desire not to get caught out on a lake in the evening with no lights, we started back to the public access on the southwest edge of the lake. We didn't avoid the northern portion of the lake, but as we came back we also didn't follow the shoreline as closely either. Instead of completing the top, left portion of the oval on the lake, we truncated it a bit to get back to shore quicker.
But it didn't matter where on the lake you were, it was beautiful ... the best the Minnesota prairie has to offer.
Unfortunately, we haven't made good on our promise to get back to Glendalough. Children's activities and other obligations have kept our canoe adventures closer to home these past two summers. But I will guarantee you that we will go back. And you should to. ... You'll thank me for the tip!
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